Most people think arena will help Allentown

Despite months of fighting by Valley leaders, people think the city needs project.

Excavation continues Wednesday on the site for the hockey arena in downtown… (Harry Fisher, THE MORNING…)

May 16, 2012|By Matt Assad, Of The Morning Call

The battle between Allentown and surrounding communities over funding the downtown hockey arena may have turned ugly, but that apparently hasn't soured the public's appetite for the $220 million project.

According to a Morning Call/Muhlenberg College poll of Lehigh Valley residents, people believe that the project will be good for Allentown by a ratio of three to one, and 45 percent say they are likely to attend events there.

The numbers, amassed during a poll of 577 adults in Lehigh and Northampton counties, who were interviewed April 25 through May 9, are not shocking, but they do suggest that people have been able to tune out the bickering among their municipal leaders fighting over arena funding, said Chris Borick, a Muhlenberg College political scientist who conducted the poll.

"Politics aside, financing fight aside, Lehigh Valley residents see this as important to Allentown," Borick said. "Despite all the negative news, the public is fairly positive about what this can do for the city — and that includes people from inside and outside the city."

Allentown's arena, hotel and office building project has been stalled for months by a lawsuit filed by Northampton County's Hanover and Bethlehem townships, which are challenging the creation of a special 130-acre taxing zone that uses some suburban earned income tax collections to help fund the arena.

The arena is scheduled to open by September 2013 as home to the American Hockey League Phantoms, but construction delays because of the lawsuit appear to be jeopardizing Phantoms' home games in Allentown in the 2013-14 hockey season.

Four questions were asked about the arena project as part of a broader annual Lehigh Valley Quality of Life poll. The poll did not ask residents whether they side with Allentown or the municipalities in the legal dispute.

Asked how they feel about the project, 41 percent of those surveyed said they were somewhat or very excited about it, while 57 percent said they were not too excited or not excited at all. Two percent said they weren't sure.

Sixty percent of respondents said the arena project would be somewhat or very important to the quality of Allentown's downtown, compared with 35 percent who believed it would be not too important or not important at all. Five percent said they weren't sure.

Forty-five percent of the respondents said they were somewhat or very likely to attend hockey games, concerts or other events at the arena, with 53 percent saying they were not too likely or not likely at all to visit the arena.

"I'm not much of a hockey fan, but I'm very excited about going to the arena for concerts and other events," said David Shelly, a retired middle school principal from Bethlehem and poll respondent. "Allentown needs something to revitalize its downtown. I'm glad something is finally happening there."

But the most surprising poll number was the impact people believe the arena will have on Allentown's downtown, said Michael Stershic, president of Discover Lehigh Valley, the nonprofit whose job is to sell the Valley as a tourist destination.

Fifty-eight percent said they believed the arena and accompanying hotel would have a positive effect on the downtown, compared with 17 percent who said it would have a negative effect and 17 percent who believed it would have no effect. Seven percent said they were not sure.

"I don't know a lot about why they are fighting over this, but I know it's going to bring a lot of jobs and better concerts to the city," said poll respondent Cher Moser, 40, of Slatington. "I can't wait for it to be built. I'll definitely go into the city to see it."

Thirty-seven percent of those polled expressed a negative view of the project. Haresh Joshi, a hotel owner from South Whitehall Township, was among them.

"They're putting the arena in the wrong place," Joshi said. "It's just going to cause parking problems and traffic congestion. Maybe if they put it on the outskirts of town, I'd feel better about it."

A 2009 Lehigh Valley Quality of Life poll — taken during the recession — found opposition to building an arena with state or local tax dollars. Respondents at that time said government had higher priorities for scarce resources.

The recession may be over, but discontent over tax dollars remains and may need to be settled by a judge.

How do you feel about the hockey/entertainment arena being built in downtown Allentown?

SUMMARY: 41% excited, 57% unexcited about it

Very excited – 14%

Somewhat excited – 27%

Not too excited – 20%

Not excited at all – 37%

Not sure – 2%

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What effect will the arena and accompanying new hotel have on downtown Allentown?

SUMMARY: 58% see positive impact on Allentown

Positive – 58%

Negative – 17%

No effect – 17%

Not sure – 7%

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How important is construction of the arena to the overall quality of downtown Allentown?

SUMMARY: 26% see it as very important to downtown Allentown

Very important – 26%

Somewhat important – 34%

Not too important – 17%

Not important at all – 18%

Not sure – 5%

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How likely are you to attend hockey games, concerts or other events at the arena?

SUMMARY: 45% likely to use it for events; 32% will not use it

Very likely – 20%

Somewhat likely – 25%

Not too likely – 21%

Not likely at all – 32%

Not sure – 2%

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Source: Lehigh Valley Quality of Life poll by The Morning Call/Muhlenberg College. Callers interviewed 577 adults in Lehigh and Northampton counties April 25 through May 9. Margin of error is plus/minus 5 percentage points.